Cultural Psychology (PSYC 4344)



The University of Houston

Cultural Psychology (PSYC 2344)

ITV- WebCT Class - Spring 2009

Syllabus – LEC 23550, 23558, 33821

Instructor: Herb Agan, Ed.D. Office: 124 Heyne, by appt.

Mailbox: 122 Heyne email: hwagan@uh.edu

Phone: 713-665-5925 TA:

e-mail: check WebCT Mail Messages sent to Herbert Agan user-name

or Discussion Board for questions

Text: Required:

1. Packet of readings...purchased at The College Store, 3503 Elgin

2. Johnson, Robert Owning Your Own Shadow HarperSanFrancisco

3. Videos and DVDs are essential for the class:

You can buy videos or DVDs at or view Courgar Cable Tuesday nights from 10:30pm to 1:30am Library has a few, but not all tapes.

Not required but used for lecture material:

Matsumoto, David Culture and Psychology Wadsworth 2000

ABOUT THE COURSE…Tape 1 explains the course. Check it out.

This class is a tape-purchase video for ITV Distance Education conducted through a WebCT program. It promises to be one of the most interesting, informative, challenging and fun courses you may take at the University. It is a “writing intensive” course, taught as a seminar with lectures, student presentations and class discussions and, of course, your writing assignments. Students will be discussing their own cultural experiences and how these experiences have shaped their lives (e.g. beliefs, values, life-style, interests, political beliefs, family, employment, recreation). A fair amount of civilized debate will be seen during discussions of the many implications of our cultural beliefs and actions and their impact on others who differ from us in either important or trivial ways.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

*Students will attain through lecture, reading, videos, written essays, exams and presentations knowledge of the similarities and uniqueness of the majority and larger minority cultures in the US. Emphasis will be on distinct human characteristics emphasized by each group and how students can both understand and incorporate these insights into their own lives.

*Class discussion of primary sources and secondary readings will help students develop critical reading and analytical skills. *Weekly papers, extra credits assignments and exams will help improve writing skills.

HANDOUTS

Check the website above or the webct Vista, site for class handouts. It is recommended that you retrieve all the handouts before viewing the tapes.

GRADING

40% Two Exams at mid-term and the end of class.

60% Weekly essays with questions

Extra credit: Four Extra Credits can move your grade up a “notch”(e.g. from a B to a B+)

A page or page and a half paper is required to be turned at the last exam. These can be film reviews, articles or personal experience as related to cultural psychology. Ideas for extra credit will come from class lectures. A trip to the Holocaust Museum with write-up counts for two extra credits. A write-up on the film Joy Luck Club or the film Crash will be 2 extra credits; all others count one.

Exams

Information for the exam will come from readings and viewing the assigned tapes for that week. Two exams will come from class lecture material obtained from viewing the videos. These will cover 9 short-answer questions, where you answer 8. With each question counting 5 points, these will account for 40% of your grade. Exams are scheduled for Saturday, March 7th and April 25th, respectively, at 10:00am on campus. I will let you know the exam locations, as they are assigned later in the semester.

Essays

You will be expected to write a short essay each week (1 ½ - 3 pgs—typed, doubled spaced, 1 inch margins, 12pt Times Roman Font) with the following parameters:

1) Summarize one of the readings assigned for a particular class tape.

2) Include your opinion or reflection in your essay, making sure you have demonstrated that you read and understood the article.

3) Formulate 3 thoughtful questions for a class discussion related to the issues addressed in the given reading.

(Please use UH Writing Center, 217 AH, if English is a second language or you need assistance in writing papers.)

You will be asked to do 10 of these essays during the semester, and each will be graded on a 10-point scale, based on the above parameters. No credit will be given for essays which show a lack of reading, thought or effort. Late essays will not be accepted. Unless otherwise instructed, you will be expected to summarize the asterisked (*) article listed on your assigned days. On days where two articles are asterisked, you may choose either one to summarize. Although you only have to turn in one essay a week, you are expected to have read all readings for each class period.

Submit papers via the WebCT site: uh.edu\webct

Essays are due by 11:55pm on each Monday night for the essays assigned that week.

(i.e., Your first written assignment is due via webct by 11:55pm, Feb 2nd) Check the list and class calender for dates and assignments. And you will be given feedback for your essays on WebCT. Be sure and keep a copy of the confirmation email you receive after submitting your assignment.

***I recommend that you keep a copy of your essays for yourself.

***In accordance with Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines, we will make every effort to reasonably accommodate students who request and require assistance.

***Students are expected to produce and submit their own original work, via class participation, papers and examination. Allegations of academic dishonesty, e.g., copying during exams, submitting the work of others without proper attribution, will be reported to the chair of Academic Affairs, Department of Psychology. Students should also consult the Student Handbook to review their responsibilities and rights regarding academic honesty.

PSYC 2344 Cultural Psychology ITV

Reading Assignments Spring - 2009

Dr. Herb Agan

All essays due on Monday nights by 11:55pm of the week noted.

date day______________________________________________________________________

Jan 26 Monday Introduction of Class and Content – Review of Syllabus

This Week Webct Writing Assignments, Exam Schedules and Reading Assignments

Tape 1

______________________________________________________________________________

Feb 2 Mon

Cohen, M.N. (1998). Culture, not race, explains human diversity. (From Explaining

This Week Human Diversity) (pp.30-34)

Tapes 2 ______________________________________________________________

And 3 Phinney, J.S.(1996). When we talk about American ethnic groups, what do we

mean? American Psychologist, 51, 918-927.

____________________________________________________________________

Essay *Triandis, H.C.(1990). Theoretical concepts that are applicable to the analysis

1 of ethnocentrism. In R. Brislin (Ed.), Applied Cross-Cultural Psychology.

(pp.34-55) Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

__________________________________________________________________________

Hughes, R. (1992, Feb.3). The fraying of America. Time, pp.44-49.

_____________________________________________________________________

*Limbaugh, R.(1992). Multiculturalism. The Way Things Ought To Be. (pp.204-213)

New York: Pocket books.

______________________________________________________________________________

Feb 9 Mon

This Week

Tapes 4

And 5 (Choose one)

*Tyack, D.(1993). Schooling and social diversity: Historical reflections. (pp3-38)

_______________________________________________________________

*Kanter, R.M.(1977). Numbers: Minorities and majorities. In Men and women

Essay of the Corporation. (pp.206-242) New York: Basic Books.

2

______________________________________________________________

*Ogbu, J.U.(1990). Cultural model, identity, and literacy. In Stigler, Shweder Tape 5

& Herdt (eds.), Cultural Psychology, Essays on Comparative Human

Development. (pp.520-541) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

_______________________________________________________________

Gates, H.L.(1992, Sep.14). Two nations...both black. Forbes, pp.132,135,138.

_______________________________________________________________

Ward, L.B.(1992, Oct.27). Cultures increasingly clash in workplace. Houston

Chronicle.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Feb 16 Mon

This Week *Chavez, L.(1996). Hispanics and the American Dream (from Imprimis).

Tapes 6 pp57-60.

And 7 _________________________________________

Geyer, G.A.(1996). Politics is job #1. National Review, pp.56-57,72.

Essay Fears, Darryl(2002,Dec). Ethnic blend of Latinos makes racial identities in

3 U.S. unclear. Houston Chronicle

________________________________________________________________

(Choose one)

*Williams, P.J.(1996). Mirrors and Windows. The Alchemy of Race and

Rights. (pp.166-178)

_______________________________________________________________

*Kerwin, C. & Ponterotto, J.G.(1995). Biracial identity development: Theory

and research. In Ponterotto, Casas, Suzuki, & Alexander (Eds.), Handbook of

Multicultural Counseling. (pp.199-217)

_________________________________________________________________________

Feb 23 Mon

This Week *McIntosh, P.(1989). White privilege:Unpacking the invisible knapsack. Peace

Tape 8 and Freedom. 10-12

And 9

________________________________________________________________

Essay Murray, C.(1993, Dec.26). The epidemic of a white underclass. Houston

4 Chronicle

________________________________________________________________

Clairborne, R.(1974). A WASP stings back. Newsweek, pp.203-205.

_______________________________________________________________

* Pasternak, J.(1993, Oct.14). Court hits ‘integration shell game’, Illinois city’s

‘apartheid’ school system blasted. Houston Chronicle.

_______________________________________________________________

Leo, J.(1997, Jun.). A dubious ‘diversity’ report. US News + World Report,

p.15.

______________________________________________________________

Kakutani, M.(1997, Mar.). Bigotry in motion. New York Times Magazine,

p.24.

________________________________________________________________________

Mar 2 Mon…..Exam…this Saturday 10:00am March 7th on campus

View (Choose one)

Tape 10 Stuart, A. Saving the male. pp.38-39.

Only ________________________________________________________________

Syfers, J.(1979, Dec.). I want a wife. Ms., p.144.

Essay _______________________________________________________________

5 *Plessy v Ferguson (1896).

_______________________________________________________________

*Oliver Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1953).

______________________________________________________________________________

Mar 16 Mon… No assignments this week…yipeeee!!

Watch Joy Luck Club or Crash other relevant extra credit films.

Visit Holocaust Museum for learning and extra credit. Or eat out at a different

cultural cuisine

________________________________________________________________________

Mar 23 Mon

This Week (Choose one)

Tape 11 *Sodowsky, G.R., Kwan, K.K., & Pannu, R.(1995). Ethnic identity of Asians

And 12 in the United States. In Ponterotto, Casas, Suzuki, & Alexander (Eds.),

Handbook of Multicultural Counseling. (pp.123-154)

Essay ________________________________________________________________

6 *Worsnop, R.L.(1991). Asian Americans. Congressional Quarterly, 947-963.

______________________________________________________________

(Choose one)

*Choney, S.K., Berryhill-Paapke, E., & Robbins, R.R.(1995). The

acculturation of American Indians: Developing frameworks for research and

practice. In Handbook of Multicultural Counseling. (pp.73-92)

_______________________________________________________________

Bordewich, F.M.(1996). Revolution in Indian country. American Heritage,

34-46.

________________________________________________________________

*Jaimes, M.A.(1992). Sand Creek the morning after. The State of Native

America: Genocide, Colonization, and Resistance. (pp1-9)

Mar 30 Mon

This Week *Downing, C.(1991). The myth of homosexuality. In Myths and Mysteries of

Tape 13 Same-Sex Love. (pp.3-12)

And 14

_______________________________________________________________

Essay Lukes, C., & Land, H.(1990, Mar.). Biculturality and homosexuality. Social

7 Work, 155-161

_______________________________________________________________

Bowers v Hardwick, and John and Mary Doe (1986). Supreme Court Reports.

_________________________________________________________

*Wormser, R.(1994). Islam-its origins and practices. American Islam:

Growing Up Muslim in America. (pp.15-33)

________________________________________________________________

Wormser, R.(1994). Born in the USA. American Islam: Growing Up Muslim

in America. (pp.34-44)

________________________________________________________________

Gibbs, N.(1991, Feb.4). Walking a tightrope. Time, pp. 42-43.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Apr 6 Mon

This Week *Limbaugh, R.(1992). Religion and America: They do go together. The Way

Tape 15 Things Ought To Be. (pp.274-281)

And 16 ___________________________________________________________

Essay Woodrum, E., & Hoban, T.(1992). Support for prayer in school and

8 creationism, 309-321. **just skim this one**

Dinnerstein, L. (1994). At home in America (1969-1992). Antisemitism in America,p.228.

*Herbert, B. (2006). Punished For Being Female. New York Times (Nov. 2)

Why Aren’t We Shocked? New York Times (Oct. 16)

Apr 13 Mon

This Week *Eberhardt, J., & Fiske, S.(1994). Affirmative action in theory and practice:

Tape 17 Issues of power, ambiguity, and gender versus race. Basic and Applied Social

And 18 Psychology, 15(1&2), 201-220.

Essay ______________________________________________________________

9 Cooper, M.H.(1991,May17). Racial quotas. CQ Researcher, pp.279-299.

________________________________________________________________

*Sternberg, R.J.(1995). For whom the bell curve tolls. Psychological

Science, 6(5), 257-261.

________________________________________________________________

Williams, P.J.(1991). Obliging shell (chap.6). The Alchemy of Race and

Rights.

________________________________________________________________________

Apr 20 Mon Last Exam this Saturday, April 25 @ 10:00 am on campus

View *Sailer, S.(1997, Jul.). Is love colorblind? National Review, 30-33.

Tape 19 ________________________________________________________________

Only

Essay

10

*Richard Perry Loving v Virginia (1967). U.S. Supreme Court Reports.

______________________________________________________________________________

Apr 25 Saturday 10:00am Last Exam….not cumulative

On campus. Check webct for exam site.

***All extra credits due at the Last Exam

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